Abbott steals a march on mental health reform

Tony Abbott went to last year's election with a $1.5 billion mental health policy

Andrew Sheargold, file photo: AAP

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has moved to snatch the initiative from the Government over mental health spending, pledging a $2 billion package should he win the next election.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said improvements in mental health treatment will be a hallmark of this term of her government, but sector insiders fear funding will not kick in for years.

Mr Abbott had already launched a $1.5 billion mental health initiative in the last election campaign for extra mental health beds and centres and has now flagged an extra $430 million for a back-to-work program.

Mr Abbott used the example of his finance spokesman, Andrew Robb, and his well publicised battle with depression, as an example of how to help those suffering from mental illnesses to improve their working lives.

"Andrew was dogged for years with a form of depression and I think anyone who knows Andrew and works with Andrew would say that he is a transformed man since getting the treatment that he needed," Mr Abbott said.

The Opposition initiative has been supported by John Mendoza, former chairman of the Government's mental health advisory council.

He resigned last year after criticising the Government for a "lack of vision and commitment".

"Employment is very important in terms of being able to lift oneself out of poverty and poverty is very closely associated with mental disability," Mr Mendoza told Fran Kelly on Radio National.

And he was critical of the Government's promises to deliver on mental health this term, saying the funding is unlikely to be delivered for years.

"It does put a bit of a credibility gap between what the Prime Minister has repeatedly said, that this is a second term priority, and we are hearing that most of the funding will occur in 2015 and beyond," he said.

Mr Mendoza says the present situation is "unacceptable" and investment is urgently needed.

"Any family trying to find services, it's all too apparent and distressing because not even money can buy services in many areas of Australia even if you have that capacity," he said.

"There are not enough options in terms of assisting people to recovery and as a consequence we see too many of these folk ending up on our streets, in our prisons, in the wrong place basically."

Mr Abbott says his plan represents a good investment in the economy as well.

"If you invest intelligently in health, including mental health, over time you have a far more productive society.

"It is no accident that over the last 50 years Australia's net wealth per head has quadrupled at a time when our health spend has gone from 5 to 10 per cent of GDP because that health spend is an investment in a more productive society."